Chapter 7: Conclusions
Madison sat at her desk in the Monarch office frustrated. Monarch employees didn't have access to personnel files as a security measure. But she did know a guy who could get her access and so she pulled what strings she needed to be able to dive in. With it, she could look in on General Gordon. And that's what frustrated her. Going through his file and getting a glimpse into his background had done nothing to help their case. General Douglas Gordon had your typical military brat background. Parents moved around alot, both military themselves. His mother was a pilot in the air force while his father served the Army as a Ranger. He went into the military immediately at 18 and eventually followed in his father's boot steps. For all intents and purposes, it was a completely normal background. And that's what annoyed her so much. She was hoping there would be something, perhaps a Titan related tragedy similar to her own that could give a reason behind his motives. And those motives too were still a mystery. They had no hard evidence that things were as malicious as they felt and that's what they needed to verify their feelings. She had tried asking her father what he might know about Gordon, but he hadn't reached back out to her yet. While she was at the Monarch facility in San Francisco, Dr. Mark Russell was off on another assignment somewhere in the Middle East looking into reports of a newly uncovered gravity well. She wasn't sure if he'd even know anything but it didn't hurt to ask she thought. The other thought that was on her mind and not as frustrating was Steve Martin. He was being so helpful about all this and forthcoming. Almost to the point Madison wanted to question his motives. She was probably overthinking. He seemed to share the same conclusions she had about the General and the EDF so why not allow him to help? She had perused some of the notebooks he let her take, looking over what he had written. He held the same belief that most folks at Monarch had: that Titans were beings of nature and should be studied and respected. Most of his observations were garnered from whatever news he and his station had covered, other news outlets, and some of the leaked information of Monarch's that had been made public years before. He had gone to several of the ground zero locations for Titan attacks and interviewed survivors as well as aid workers and Monarch scientists. He was very thorough, thoughtful, and compassionate it seemed, good qualities in a reporter except the last which lacked in most. Yes, she decided, she would trust him. Now with that conspiracy theory out of the way, she could refocus on the General and discovering what he was hiding.
Ilene tapped her foot as the HEAV flew up and over the rolling hills and mountains of Hollow Earth. It had been almost 2 days since the other HEAV had finally made it's way down for pickup. First priority was getting the crew back to the surface. Dr. Andrews wanted to go after Jia immediately but since there was only so much room at the outpost's living quarters, Franklin and the other's were ferried to the surface first. So she waited impatiently for the return of the HEAV and then boarded almost before it landed. The pilot plotted it's course and the two were on their way. She was practically digging a hole into the metal floor. She didn't know what she was going to do when she got there. Apologize? Shout? Cry? So many emotions and thoughts ran through her mind as the HEAV continued coasting along. All she knew was that she wanted to get to Jia. The ship began to descend some as they neared the barrier to the Iwi village. The HEAV slowed to a crawl as it approached. Nudging the head of the HEAV to the barrier, the ship pressed slowly through until it passed. Since Mothra had repaired the barrier after the Skull King invasion 2 years ago, Monarch had discovered they could get HEAVS beyond the barrier by moving gently through so as not to disrupt the strands of Mothra's silk. This kept the Iwi of Hollow Earth safe and still allowed any Monarch teams safe passage. Ilene felt her stomach drop as they neared the outskirts of the Iwi city. Landing just outside the main gathering area, the ship landed softly though Ilene felt more discomfort. Just relax, she thought to herself. Talk to Jia and then you both can take the HEAV back and everything will be alright. Just have to get her to listen first.
"I'm going to disembark. You can head back up to the surface. Once I have Jia I'll take the other ship back."
The pilot nodded and wished her luck as she walked down the platform. There was a small group of Iwi onlookers as she touched the ground and began walking towards the city. Though they were becoming a regular sight, there was always a small cadre of onlookers whenever a HEAV arrived. She avoided their looks and began looking for Jia. It didn't take long for her to find the teenage runaway. Jia was with a group of Iwi enraptured in a dance of some kind. She watched on from a distance as Jia moved with the others, swaying and stepping, the only sounds being their movement and the instruments the Iwis were playing. The music consisted of some bongo like drums and flutes of varying size. Jia was smiling as she spun and posed, all of the dancers moving freely in a hypnotic pattern. Ilene could only watch, feeling a sense of sadness and guilt inside. She moved back behind one of the nearby stone buildings and continued watching. She felt this way 2 years ago when Jia first met the Iwi and were welcomed back as not only the child of prophecy but as a member of the village. Jia being a part of something more and not needing her anymore. After their fight the other day and Jia running off that flood of emotions came roaring back and this time she couldn't hold back. Ilene teared up and moved away as the dance continued on in fervor.
"And you're sure that's all you could find out," Martin asked his contact over the phone.
"Yep. It's all in what I sent you," the woman replied, "I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Your General is about as clean as they come. Sorry Steve."
"Thank you regardless Whitney. Tell your mom I said hi," he said as he hung up the phone.
Nothing at all. This wasn't going to be as easy as Martin thought. He was sure there would have been something incriminating about General Gordon. If there was it was probably sealed away behind some redacted file or erased from existence. Or it could be that this leader of the EDF was actually that straight. As unbelievable as it might be, this could be true. With this new information in his hands, Martin decided to focus on the next aspect of their investigation. On the surface the EDF was a military group invested in the defense of the world against Titans. But after the Honolulu press conference he knew there was for sure more to it than that. This next part of the investigation would require a more hands on approach. He could ask Madison to try and find out more from her end. In fact, he would need her assistance with this part. Maybe she could get him some Monarch access and then from there he could get information on the EDF. Madison had said that they didn't really share as much information badck to Monarch but it was at least a start. That would be the best approach, he thought. Martin dialed her.
"I haven't had any luck," she immediately said upon answering.
"What did you find out about him?"
"While I'm sure to a military person it was exciting, I found nothing of interest on the General."
"Dead end on my side as well. Sounds like we need to try to move on to the next step," Martin said.
"What do you suggest," she asked.
"We need to begin looking into the EDF and what their intentions are. And I could use your help with that one."
"And what can I do to help out with this?"
"Can you get me into Monarch? Maybe a pass of some sort, temporary or otherwise?"
"I'm not sure how well it's going to go over that I give a member of the press a backstage pass to Monarch," she replied.
Martin chuckled.
"I don't need a backstage pass. I just need to get in and see what I can drum up on the EDF. And you would be the easiest way to go about doing that."
"How exactly do you intend to do that? We don't have access to the EDF's files and they don't exactly share with us so how do you want to do this," she asked hesitantly.
"If the EDF is connected to Monarch in any way through your computer systems, then that should give me all the push I need to dig in."
"Are you telling me now you're Steve Martin hacker extraordinaire ?"
"Not at all. But I have some methods and ways. I just need you to get me in."
Madison paused before answering.
"I'll get back with you. Give me a little time."
Kong moved towards his designated spot towards the mountainside. Though the light of the Hollow Earth never seemed to dim, the mighty king's body told him it was the ending of the day. The rest of the tribe were settling into their own areas, forming varying groups of different sizes as they nestled in for the "night". Kong's area rose above them all, overlooking all the others. While the Skar King had loomed over the others as a sign of his power, Kong did so as a more baser instinct: Protection. From this perspective, Kong had full view of the others and could intervene if any unsavory creatures made their way into the tribe's home. Kong sat down and looked over the valley. The titanic ape's muscles still ached slightly from the scuffle several days earlier. He hadn't seen the ferocious beast since then but he could sense it in the outlying areas on the edge of the apes' territory. Kong's alpha sense kept track of other Titan's movements and made him stay on edge. Should the beast try to attack his tribe, he would defend them just as he had on the hunt. But there was also unease in Kong's body. Something wasn't quite right but he wasn't sure how to interpret the feeling. A nagging sensation that seemed to prod at the ape king's mind. His thoughts drifted from this the moment Faye came up the hill. Kong had encountered her not long after the tribe relocated and there was an immediate connection to one another. It was the very first time Kong had ever experienced it and it was far more intense than the feeling he had for the other tribal members. From then on, they were inseparable. He rose from his sitting position and embraced her, putting his head to hers and hooting gently. She replied with her own low hoot and once more Kong had that joyous feeling of completion. Suko came following not long after, joining the couple as they began to nestle themselves in. Suko had himself been an integral part of helping the other apes acclimate to Kong's leadership and presence. In the time since the Skar King's fall, Suko and Kong had developed a very father/son relationship with one another. Kong's family was complete save for the one piece that he didn't get to see as much of anymore. Kong's thoughts went on Jia briefly before the nagging sensation came back once more. He shook his great head and, with a yawn, laid it to earth.
Ilene thanked the Iwi as she accepted the meal given to her. Since returning with Jia for visits, she was just as accepted as Jia was. She could even speak with them on the regular due to their telepathic abilities and learned so much more about their culture, beliefs, and other facts. The meal provided consisted of various fruits and vegetables both grown and harvested within the village and it's outskirts. Ilene ate in silence as she contemplated what she was going to say to Jia. She was still having second thoughts on everything, whether she was in the right or wrong, too hard or soft. The complication of parenting was so much harder than studying Titans and their behaviors.
"What are you doing here," Jia's mental voice slid through her mind suddenly. Ilene nearly dropped her plate from the scare.
"You startled me," she replied shaken.
Jia walked past her as she headed for one of the buildings. Ilene stood up.
"Jia, wait. Can we talk please?"
Jia paused and turned towards her, her mental voice rising once more.
"Why? So you can tell me to stop what I'm doing? To tell me how disappointed you are in me or how pissed off I made you?"
"No Jia. I don't want to do any of that. I don't want to fight with you and I'm not going to berate you. I just...I just want to talk."
Jia sat down on the ground as her mother came over to sit in front of her. A silence the size of the Grand Canyon seemed to lay between them. Ilene broke it first.
"I saw you dancing," she seemed to blurt out in a strangely emotional and blunt way. Jia looked at her.
"If that's all you wanted to say, I'm leaving now," she said starting to get up. Ilene stopped her.
"Wait Jia."
She paused for a moment as she gathered her wits.
"I understand that I had upset you about Kong. I should have said something about him getting hurt to you sooner. A part of me felt like I was trying to help you out by not saying anything until we arrived. That's on me, not you. I didn't put enough faith in how you'd handle the news. You've always been a child of two worlds and I sometimes forget how smart you really are. How impressively you've handled everything. I look at you and I still see that little girl we saved so many years ago. It frightens me to see you growing so fast, even more so now that we have your people in your life again. If anything, I'm the one who doesn't know how to handle it. I'm asking you to help me Jia. Help me try to help you so we don't grow apart. I don't want to lose you or make you hate me. I just want to help my daughter become who she's meant to be."
Ilene could hardly believe what just came out of her, especially after all the racking she wrought on her brain in thinking. She stood there for a moment, eyes on Jia. She wasn't sure what her words would mean to Jia but she was hoping they'd hit their mark. Jia stood and for a moment Ilene was sure she would walk away. The air was thick, almost like a dense fog had laid over them. Jia approached her mother and stood in before her, looking up into her eyes. She didn't need to read her mom's mind to know how sincere she was. Jia wrapped her arms around her mom tightly. Ilene closed her eyes as she returned the hug in kind, squeezing tight and stifling her rise of emotions. There they held eachother for an eternal few minutes, everything else around them fading into nothingness with only the two of them remaining together. Their arms separated and the emotion bore on their faces to one another. Ilene smiled and sniffed before she gave Jia another shorter hug. Jia looked at her and signed "Ok".
"Thank you. Now, all that being said, you're still grounded for stealing the HEAV," she said with a chuckle.
General Gordon stood before his men, hands behind his back. The soldiers who would be piloting today's mission stood at attention, ready for the order to be given by their leader. The 6 Super Xs and one additional HEAV unit lay behind the soldiers. Today was going to be a big day, the first real history changing step on the EDF's road to maintaining a safe world for humanity. General Gordon had interviewed each man and woman personally to ensure that none would speak about the mission they would be undertaking. The secrecy had to remain. It was early but destiny didn't care about time, Gordon thought. It was time to get a move on.
"Soldiers of the EDF. Ladies and gentlemen. You're about to embark on a dangerous mission but one of utmost importance. You're going to help us in acquiring a very important resource to aid in our upcoming and inevitable conflict with the Titans. This resource will allow us to even the playing field against any Titan that dare threaten humanity. But this mission will be anything but routine or easy. It is possible that you may not return from this. I wish that were not the case but, as you are all aware, in any conflict there will always be casualties. This resource is too important to just ignore. And so, you will guide these 6 Super Xs into battle. Not with fanfare. Not with a crowd of cheering onlookers. But with a sense of duty and knowledge that what you do today the world may never know. And yet, it will be one of the most important moments in the history of the EDF...no...the world. I can't stress the need for success enough. I have every bit of confidence in each and every one of you. I've spoken to all of you privately and have told you this much and more. Soldiers of the EDF, my friends, my family. Together, you will be unstoppable. Together, we will be victorious! To battle!"
The soldiers all shouted, their war cry echoing through the base as they each boarded their respective vehicles. The General saluted them all, unblinking and unwavering as the last of them filed into their war machines. As the Super Xs began to ignite their engines and turn on, General Gordon moved away and walked towards another man. He was in his early 60's with gray hair featuring small flecks of his once darker hair. A pair of wide lensed glasses sat on his face and he wore a lightly colored suit of brown. His eyes were the color of almonds and carried a look of impatience.
"Are you sure this is going to work General? You're hedging alot on the success of this operation," he said hoarsely.
"You're right as always Dr. Mafune. I wasn't lying when I gave that speech doctor. I fully believe that they will accomplish the task at hand. You just need to worry about your part in the mission."
Dr. Mafune grunted.
"I'm well aware of what I need to do General. I'll gather the crew and we will get everything loaded on the HEAV. We will leave shortly," he said as he turned to walk away. Gordon put a hand on his shoulder.
"Just remember we're on a tight schedule doctor. We need to be in and out as fast as possible. If we keep the signal down for too long, Monarch will be aware of what we're doing. No mistakes, please."
The doctor pulled his shoulder back from Gordon's hand and walked off. The General turned back and watched on as the Super Xs began to rise and depart, one after another. Operation Minus One had begun.
